Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time

Gr 8 Up—This visually stunning companion piece to the 2013 film of the same name seeks to explain why 62 million girls worldwide do not go to school. Taking from the film the stories of nine girls who overcame the odds against them to achieve at least some degree of education, the book provides a more in-depth explanation of the barriers girls face and also many accounts that were not included in the final cut. This volume is also a call to arms, detailing not just why girls are prevented from going to school but also why it is critically important to their countries and the global economy that they be allowed to do so. The tone is persuasive, and a concluding section spotlights a number of activist success stories while also laying out ways in which readers can help. The appeal is primarily to the heartstrings. Much of the information is anecdotal, and gorgeous color photographs of the girls radiating determination and hope dominate almost every spread. Impressive back matter adds further heft, including an informative author's note explaining how Stone verified and supplemented the research of the film crews, an extensive bibliography, and complete source notes. Unfortunately, an oversimplification that implies global poverty stems from overpopulation ("There are more than twenty million victims of slavery today… Why? For one thing, there are more of us living on the planet than ever before") mars what is otherwise an exceptionally strong package.